Alberta’s government says it is making significant investments to ensure more Albertans receive the surgeries they need within clinically recommended wait times.
The government introduced its Alberta Surgical Initiative in 2019 to ensure that more Albertans receive the surgeries they need faster. Because of that initiative, the province says it is on track to complete more surgeries this year than ever before when combining surgeries performed by Alberta Health Services (AHS) and publicly funded chartered surgical facilities.
Alberta’s government and AHS say they are continuing their work to increase the number of surgeries completed across the province while reducing the surgical backlog and increasing capacity. The initiative is said to focus on improving each patient’s surgical journey from the time they initially seek advice to when they are referred to a specialist and undergo surgery and rehabilitation.
Albertans deserve timely access to surgeries where and when they need them. Officials say if passed, Budget 2024 would invest $618 million in targeted spending to improve access to surgeries and the acute care facilities that perform surgeries.
“Albertans should have access to health care when and where they need it,” says Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health. “The Alberta Surgical Initiative is empowering health care providers to complete more surgeries while improving wait times. We are working closely with Alberta Health Services to address the existing backlog and introducing new funding to ensure the necessary facilities are in place to deliver timely care to Albertans.”
Officials say a total of $305 million is being provided to Alberta Health Services to perform 310,000 surgical procedures this year – an increase of almost six per cent from 2022-23. It is estimated that between 60,000 and 65,000 of these surgical procedures will be completed at publicly funded chartered surgical facilities, freeing up operating rooms in hospitals to handle more complex surgeries.
Budget 2024 also includes $313 million over three years for the Alberta Surgical Initiative Capital Program, which officials believe would add and expand operating rooms across the province. They say this investment could increase capacity and improve use of existing capacity at facilities in both urban and rural communities across the province. Through this program, Alberta’s government says it would renovate surgical suites and support areas in Brooks, Calgary, Crowsnest Pass, Edmonton, Innisfail, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Olds, Rocky Mountain House and Taber.
“By delivering Alberta Surgical Initiative projects in communities throughout the province, we are increasing surgical capacity, shortening surgical wait times and ensuring Albertans can get the treatment they need closer to home. This is not just an investment in our health care system, this will also support thousands of construction-related jobs across our province,” says Pete Guthrie, Minister of Infrastructure.
“Albertans should not have to wait longer than clinically recommended for surgery,” says Martin Long, parliamentary secretary for rural health. “We are committed to reducing wait times and improving health care delivery across the province. By collaborating with Alberta Health Services and investing in acute care and key infrastructure projects, we will work to ensure Albertans receive timely, appropriate health care.”
Investing in acute care
Officials say if passed, Budget 2024 would also provide $4.4 billion in operating expense funding for acute care in 2024-25 – an increase of $60 million from the 2023-24 forecast. This investment is said to include funding for the Facilitated Access to Specialized Treatment (FAST) program.
Launched in 2022, the FAST program is designed to give family doctors and other providers the ability to send referrals to a central team that assigns the case to the specialist with the shortest wait list, or to a specific surgeon if the patient chooses to wait longer. Officials say the program currently supports urology, orthopedic, general and vascular surgery cases but will roll out to other areas, including gynecology, over the next three years.
In addition to these measures, Alberta’s government says it is also working to reduce wait times through the Rapid Access Clinic pilot program that launched in February. This initiative is designed to provide timely assessments to individuals with musculoskeletal conditions to determine if surgery is required or if the patient could benefit from non-surgical treatment, ensuring that they get the right care, when and where they need it.
“Alberta Health Services is committed to ensuring Albertans have timely access to surgeries. Through the Alberta Surgical Initiative, we have made significant improvements to the surgical wait list; but we are not done yet. Through these additional investments, we will continue to work on reducing wait times for Albertans so they can access the surgical care they need within the clinically recommended wait times,” says Sean Chilton, interim vice-president and chief operating officer, clinical operations and emergency medical services, Alberta Health Services
Alberta NDP Critic for Health, Dr. Luanne Metz, released the following statement in response to the above announcement on surgical care:
“Danielle Smith’s scheme to privatize more surgeries is leaving everyday Albertans waiting much too long for the care they desperately need. There is no evidence that the UCP’s plan is working, as the number of private surgeries in 2023-24 accounts for less than one-quarter of a per cent of the total surgeries, despite a large investment of public dollars.”
“Waitlists for surgeries ballooned under the UCP as we saw cancellations across the province due to a shortage of health-care workers, particularly due to the ongoing shortage of anesthesiologists. The UCP is continuing to push support for anesthesia at private chartered facilities and this leaves our public health-care facilities underutilized and understaffed.”
“Rural areas especially are struggling due to staffing shortages, and are having a hard time keeping acute care beds, emergency rooms and obstetric care open in the communities. Expanding surgical facilities in these rural areas will be challenging as they are already dealing with staffing challenges.”
“The UCP are playing a dangerous game with the health and well-being of Albertans in their attempt to push more privatization into our health care by increasing the number of private surgeries by almost 20 per cent. This will be especially detrimental to rural areas of the province, which are already experiencing increased closures in their hospital facilities and emergency rooms due to staffing shortages.”
“Albertans deserve to know that they can get care when and where they need it, and Danielle Smith is limiting that access by undermining public health care every step of the way.”
Comments